1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to the field of secure communications, and in particular to the secure transmission of data using biometric watermarks.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic transactions and commerce, such as the transfer of electronic information in cyberspace, are generally conducted in a manner analogous to physical transactions such as commerce in goods and financial instruments in the physical world. For example, software programs are goods which may be transferred electronically between a seller and a buyer, and the cost of the purchase may be electronically transferred from the buyer to the seller in the form of credit card charge authorizations, electronic money (E-money), etc.
Because software programs have a value and may be transferred from one entity to another, such software programs face the dangers of counterfeiting and fraud in cyberspace. Such dangers are similar to the counterfeiting of physical entities having associated value and which may be transferred, for example, physical cash and credit cards.
Computer companies experience multi-billion dollar global losses annually due to fraud and counterfeiting of software. It is estimated that the annual global losses of "MICROSOFT" alone from software piracy exceed $2 billion. In addition, the music recording industry uses electronic and data manifestations of music which may be viewed as software. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has published a report indicating that numerous computer systems, such as Internet-accessible systems, provide databases and/or websites which offer pirated music. According to the RIAA report, the annual losses of legitimate companies in the music industry may be as large as $2 billion from the effects of pirated music.
Digital or electronic watermarks are used to add a layer of protection to valuable electronic products which may be transparent to users and counterfeiters alike. The term "watermark" is derived from the process of imprinting currency, such as United States $100 notes and postal money orders, with an unalterable image on the currency. In an analogous manner in cyberspace to the watermarks of the physical world, digital and/or electronic watermarks are data incorporated into a set of data such as a multimedia computer program which is electronically transparent for the purposes of electronic transactions and copying. As used herein, the term "electronically transparent" means that, without knowledge of the presence of the electronic watermark, one cannot distinguish the actual data from the electronic watermark data or from random noise.
Electronic watermarking may be incorporated into music data as well in a manner which does not affect the quality of the performance of the music when the electronic watermarks are removed from the music data. Further, digitized pictures such as paintings may have electronic watermarks incorporated therein indicating the owner and/or artist, which provides for improved security from unauthorized copying.
Heretofore, such electronic watermarking has been limited, for example, to specifying the publisher or owner's trademark or copyright, to specifying the name of the artist of the digitized painting, etc. Such relatively simple watermarking does not determine whether a subsequent copying of the watermarked electronic data is legal or illegal. For example, the purchasers of computer software may legally make a backup copy. The traditional electronic watermarking technologies do not assist in tracking down the sources of illegal copies such as pirate Internet websites using pirated multimedia information. In addition, traditional electronic watermarking is not protected from hackers who may detect and remove an electronic watermark with impunity.